Post your infection

[CDGoin]

This is my third batch, a chocolate stout, on day 3 of fermentation. Kraussen was there for day 2 and day 3 morning. However, when I came home from work the kraussen settled down and I just see these weird bubbles popping on the surface of whats left of the kraussen. I haven't experienced this before because my first two batches had kraussen from hell pouring out of the blowoff (probably due to high ferm temps at around 72) so thats what i was kinda used to. But this batch was the first that I used with optimal temps in a fridge with a controller so I am kinda wondering if this is normal.

Fairly normal.. just let it sit and it should clean up.. right now I am sure you still have a bit fermentation going on and your Krausen hasn't fallen all the way.

 

[CDGoin]

I'm trying to figure out where it is coming from because I've never had problems with infections thus far (over 30 extract and 15 grain brews). I will ditch the plastic tubing but I'm not keen to buy another glass carboy. Surely the glass can be cleaned better than plastic ever can?

Glass, hard plastic (What I use for my fermentor), stainless steel (what I use for secondary) all clean well.. use the Iodine based sanitizers.

You could have simply laid a spoon, or something on the counter and picked it up. Lacto is everywhere. From a few drops of spilled milk on a counter to the air or in the sink. Often even if your perfectly clean you can get it, I would venture to say even on clean surfaces, it can exist in small amounts but the yeast beat it and it never grows enough for anyone too see.

In your case, a bad tube could easily be the culprit. I pour about 10-12 drips or more of iodine in my tubes, fill with a little water and slosh the stuff in the tubes, and then wipe with it rag I soaked in a iodine and water solution.

So far so good.. although in my bottled octoberfest, I am seeing "grossness" in them.. I am crossing my fingers that what I see in a few of the bottles is crap I didn't get out good enough.

 

[shanecb]

This is the only forum where I will readily click on a thread titled "Post your infection".

 

[daggers_nz]

Glass, hard plastic (What I use for my fermentor), stainless steel (what I use for secondary) all clean well.. use the Iodine based sanitizers.

You could have simply laid a spoon, or something on the counter and picked it up. Lacto is everywhere. From a few drops of spilled milk on a counter to the air or in the sink. Often even if your perfectly clean you can get it, I would venture to say even on clean surfaces, it can exist in small amounts but the yeast beat it and it never grows enough for anyone too see.

In your case, a bad tube could easily be the culprit. I pour about 10-12 drips or more of iodine in my tubes, fill with a little water and slosh the stuff in the tubes, and then wipe with it rag I soaked in a iodine and water solution.

So far so good.. although in my bottled octoberfest, I am seeing "grossness" in them.. I am crossing my fingers that what I see in a few of the bottles is crap I didn't get out good enough.

I think it's the temperatures here at the moment. I'm not too worried about the taste being ruined, as I will drink anything at the end of the day; I'm more worried about bottle bombs

 

[burdgod]

Hi I'm about to brew my first batch of beer and I am attempting to harvest the yeast from a bottle of westmalle. I put the tail end of the bottle into some LME solution, and shook it up real good and nothing happened. I continued to shake it occasionally for the next 3-4 days and still nothing happened. Then all of a sudden today this stuff popped up. Is this an infection or just the yeast?

http://s12.postimage.org/kfi4fp9e3/DSCF1046.jpg

btw there are tiny little black dots on the top of a couple of those white mounds that you cannot see in the picture.

 

[whitehause]

Hi I'm about to brew my first batch of beer and I am attempting to harvest the yeast from a bottle of westmalle. I put the tail end of the bottle into some LME solution, and shook it up real good and nothing happened. I continued to shake it occasionally for the next 3-4 days and still nothing happened. Then all of a sudden today this stuff popped up. Is this an infection or just the yeast?

btw there are tiny little black dots on the top of a couple of those white mounds that you cannot see in the picture.

If that's just a harvest attempt, chuck it.
Try using something glass, and with a little less surface area for your first step up. A mason jar with tin foil over the top works well.

 

[burdgod]

If that's just a harvest attempt, chuck it.
Try using something glass, and with a little less surface area for your first step up. A mason jar with tin foil over the top works well.

So that's not what yeast is supposed to look like? I honestly have no idea what the first signs of yeast rafts or krausen in a starter are supposed to look like.

 

[FATC1TY]

So that's not what yeast is supposed to look like? I honestly have no idea what the first signs of yeast rafts or krausen in a starter are supposed to look like.

That looks like mold. I would throw that away.

You really aren't harvesting anything there.

Did you boil the LME, and measure the gravity of it?

How much of the dregs of the bottle did you pitch?

If you can't answer any of that, then you really just wasted your time and have some mold growing.

 

[317BREW]

This is my third batch does this look normal? It's been in primary for a week. On my first two beers I didn't notice anything like that. It smells great I have not tasted yet.

 

[seigex]

This is my third batch does this look normal? It's been in primary for a week. On my first two beers I didn't notice anything like that. It smells great I have not tasted yet.

Looks like post-krausen yeast that hasn't settled yet to me. It's only been in primary for a week, are your gravity readings consistent over three separate readings? What type of beer is this?

 

[317BREW]

Looks like post-krausen yeast that hasn't settled yet to me. It's only been in primary for a week, are your gravity readings consistent over three separate readings? What type of beer is this?

IPA , I only took an og reading which was 1.064. I thought it might be krausen yeast but wasn't sure Thanks for your help

 

[seigex]

IPA , I only took an og reading which was 1.064. I thought it might be krausen yeast but wasn't sure Thanks for your help

The benefit to a highly hopped IPA is the hop oils are naturally anti-septic and you are less likely to get an infection. My last IPA took about 2+ weeks to completely ferment. You have a long condition period to go for best flavor, so give it some time and it should drop out of suspension and settle with the trub. Otherwise, there are many people on this forum who are willing to take the beer off your hands if you feel it's infected!

 

[317BREW]

The benefit to a highly hopped IPA is the hop oils are naturally anti-septic and you are less likely to get an infection. My last IPA took about 2+ weeks to completely ferment. You have a long condition period to go for best flavor, so give it some time and it should drop out of suspension and settle with the trub. Otherwise, there are many people on this forum who are willing to take the beer off your hands if you feel it's infected!

Thanks for the info I'm going to wait until next Monday to look at it again ill let you know how it taste

 

[dallasdb]

Normally I would just keg this and not even think about the floaties. But since I left Biermuncher's Cream of Three Crops in primary for about 3 months I'm slightly concerned.

It smells shockingly sweet, about to keg but thought I'd throw a picture on here and see what you think!

Is it infected or just yeast rafts or co2?

 

[rikantank]

Is this infected?

 

[gcdowd]

Is this infected?

Infected with yeast! It's fine!

 

[Darwin18]

Looks normal to me.

 

[fc36]

Does a sour mash with wild yeast/lacto from uncrushed grain count? Haha, I just opened up my first attempt at Berlinner Weiss last night with a couple buddies and nothing can prepare you for that funk. It seriously smelled like the Mexican carts in Chicago selling that mayonaisse covered elotes corn cobs mixed with my rugby rucking pads after a game. Smelled terrible, tasted tart and delicious.

 

[CDGoin]

Is this infected?

Infected with a gorgeous Krausen

Mind you it will get uglier as the yeast ejaculate all over the top of it.

Then as fermentation finishes.. it will fall to the bottom leaving a few little floaters.

At this point you shouldnt have to worry about infection. Just make sure the "seal" isn't broken until bottling time and your good.

 

[bucks222]

Making my first attempt at fruit beer, cherry wheat. I put cherry puree in the secondary (and this is the picture). Is this just krausen forming in the secondary?

 

[bucks222]

I was wondering what people's thoughts were. Just krausen forming in the secondary because of the fruit puree?

 

[fc36]

I was wondering what people's thoughts were. Just krausen forming in the secondary because of the fruit puree?

Yup, the add'l sugars from the puree are making a light snack for the active yeast. Yummy!

 

[jethro55]

That's kind of what my cherry beer looked like after about a week. Secondary on 1 can of Vintner's Harvest cherry puree. Here is what it looked like on bottling day after two weeks in secondary. And what it looks like in the bottles. FG before was 1.006 and after FG 1.007.

 

[justkev52]

I think I had one due to not rinsing out the soap well enough.
The carbonation when poured went swoosh and was gone.
Tasted line vinegar

 

[daggers_nz]

I tend to stay away from "soap" for that exact reason. Though given my track record lately, I'm not one to give advice on avoiding infections

 

[bucks222]

Thanks for the pictures, Jethro. Interesting to see that much krausen floating at the top of your secondary after two weeks and that it didn't drop. How did the flavor turn out?

 

[jethro55]

Thanks for the pictures, Jethro. Interesting to see that much krausen floating at the top of your secondary after two weeks and that it didn't drop. How did the flavor turn out?

The hydrometer sample tasted good... faint cherry flavor. I'll let you know in a few more days when I open a bottle.

Those were some large bubbles that would come and go over the last few days. They would form and burst through the day. I think it was due to slow CO2 outgassing into a film of hop or fruit oils. Saw a similar thing on a regular english brown ale (posted earlier in this thread). That one tastes fantastic.

Am interested to see another picture of yours as it progresses.

 

[justkev52]

I skimmed the thread and couldn't see anything super flaky like this. It was an absurdly hoppy (ie expensive) American IPA. We were experimenting with late extract addition and didn't notice until afterward that one of our DME bags was torn open--probably the source of the infection. Anybody know what this is?

It tasted pretty delicious anyway so we went ahead and bottled it!

Edit: there was a LOT of this stuff accumulating in the blow-off tube, nothing really made it to the bucket at the end, though. There wasn't any growth I could notice after fermentation had subsided. Never racked to secondary since there was so much unidentified growth; just tasted some on a whim and decided to bottle.

Wow

 

[high5apparatus]

I feel like I just jinxed myself by acknowledging this thread exists. 5 years 0 infections.

 

[hopzicle]

So this appeared in my RIS a couple days ago and has grown to this. I realize that its an infection I am just looking to identify it and figure out if it has ruined my RIS or if it's gonna be ok to bottle. Don't mind the floating chunks, those are bourbon barrel pieces.

Best picture I could get through the glass carboy.

 

[Channel66]

So this appeared in my RIS a couple days ago and has grown to this. I realize that its an infection I am just looking to identify it and figure out if it has ruined my RIS or if it's gonna be ok to bottle. Don't mind the floating chunks, those are bourbon barrel pieces.

Best picture I could get through the glass carboy.

Cool, I don't know what it is, but it's pretty.

It will be fine to bottle just make sure beyond reasonable doubt that your fg is stable first. I can't promise it will taste good. But I would definitely try it! I like a sour beer though.

 

[hopzicle]

I like sours too. The FG is def stable. This has been in the secondary for almost 2 months now and this just started forming

 

[nickD1210]

Believe I have an infection . Noticed after 3 weeks in secondary . Lots of bubbles ,build up on sides of Carboy and lots of particles floating .

 

[beerbeerbeer123]

I just realised infections only occur with open wounds...My noobness has made me question or fear infection for quite awhile but the truth is..it hardly happens..but for all these post of infection... In the name of the father the son and the holy spirit...dear god accept these dumpers and grace them with the holy spirit..allow them to continue to condition in the afterlife and strip them of there evil infections and in your name we pray amen

 

[frtrey]

I feel like I just jinxed myself by acknowledging this thread exists. 5 years 0 infections.

Just the opposite for me - every time I start to worry, I look here and realize my problem is just bubbles.

 

[msa8967]

Had two batches that used washed Notty yeast from the same batch. Both of these look like infections to me but I would like to hear other opinions.

 

[macshomebrew]

Well what's it taste like? I'd rack it to a secondary myself.

 

[AnonyBrew]

May want to change your washing technique.

 

[jethro55]

Had two batches that used washed Notty yeast from the same batch. Both of these look like infections to me but I would like to hear other opinions.

How long did these sit?

 

[IPA-Hole]

Just found this thread and in my 20 years of brewing never have I seen such gross images. Wow! Now, I can watch live surgeries on tv no prob but I find some of these images down right disturbing! Any one else find these repulsive?